Sunset
by SerenityRainfall
Summary: Sequel to Sunrise. After the incident in Seoul in 1990, the gang of vamps became mercenaries for hire to terminate rouge vampires around the world. When they travel to Alaska, they stumble upon a conspiracy that could threaten the entire race of vampires. (LOL, corny plot summary)
1. Vamps for Hire

So guys I definitely didn't think I'd be doing this again, but after re-watching the series I remembered how much I loved it and how much I loved writing about it. It also helped that you guys left such lovely reviews and how each time I got a notification of someone clicking 'favorite' I got the happy giggles. So, I decided to muster up enough writing gusto to at least write one chapter. I really hope you enjoy it and please, if you can, a review would be amazing. And yes, some of the backstory might not be entirely accurate with the actual plot line of the original series, but when is it ever in fan fiction?

Disclaimer: I do not own Shiki, though if I did there'd be more Tatsumi, because he's a sexy beast…

* * *

Sunset

Chapter 1: Vamps for Hire

**November 18****th****, 2011: Anchorage, Alaska**

Even though the time on the clock read 9:27AM, the current mini-blizzard that was terrorizing the city of Anchorage made everything look like an endless dark-white world. The students sighed and texted their friends under the table while the teacher, ever oblivious, droned on about melting polar ice-caps and other matters that the students _should've _been listening to, but they weren't. It was Friday after all, and almost all the kids were going to one party or another.

A knock to the door startled the class and pulled everyone out of their little day-dreams, even the teacher, who was actually thinking of the best time to go to the bar and check out chicks. The door opened and one of those useless fat counselors that sat around in the main office and ate bad food came in, talking about transfer students.

_That _sure got people's attention. Who would transfer here, and so late into the semester? The counselor motioned a 'come on in' gesture with her hand. The transfer student in question walked into the room, and time stopped. Girls who were in mid-conversation stopped what they were doing and blatantly stared, while all the guys in the room instantly glared at the student with territorial glances.

The student in question sighed and brushed his purple (_yes, purple!_) hair from his that also happened to be an electric violet-blue hybrid. He scanned the class quickly, and all the girls instantly straightened their postures and the guys put on their best 'come at me bro!' look they could muster. The boy internally sighed and wondered how long it would take his brothers to finish the job that had been assigned to them last week.

"Class, this is Natsuno Koide, a transfer student from Japan. He'll be staying with us for a couple of weeks. He's never been to the US before, so be nice to him. Why don't you introduce yourself to the class, Natsuno?"

Natsuno winced at the use of his first name by a total stranger but did what she asked anyways. He noticed the males were smiling at the mention of this being his first time in the US (which was a lie made up for the assignment) and laughed on the inside for what he was about to say. "My name is Natsuno Koide, although I'd _prefer _if you all called me Koide, as that is the common way to address one's classmate in Japan. I'm here with my younger sister Sunako, but she won't be joining me at school because of a long-standing battle with cancer. Please treat me well."

The jaws of the Americans in the classroom collectively dropped as soon as Natsuno started speaking. Hell, Natsuno could speak English better than 99% of the students in that room and they'd been speaking it their whole lives!

The teacher, still in awe of Natsuno's excellent speaking skills, merely stood at the impressive Japanese teen in his classroom until the counselor nudged his side and he remembered e had to speak. "Ah yes, Mr. Koide please choose a seat wherever you feel comfortable."

All the girls with single seats hastily de-cluttered the empty seat beside them, in hopes that the gorgeous young transfer student would choose them as a seat partner. Their hopes were crushed however when the beautiful new boy chose a seat by a young girl blonde haired girl whose aura said 'I'm beautiful and he knows it, so you can go suck it!'

With the excitement dying down, the teacher attempted to grab the student's attention once more. "Ah, well, let's get back on topic shall we? We still have a lot to cover in the thirty remaining minutes we have together."

A collective sigh wafted throughout the classroom and the students went back to what they were doing prior to the new student; they did keep on casting glances at him, but his stare was fixed to the window, where the blizzard raged on.

* * *

**November 18****th****, 2011 (Anchorage): 11:15PM**

Even though Anchorage was a large city, it abided to the temperament of the insane weather that it got this time of year. Most stores were closed by five and most restaurants by nine; almost everything except for a couple dive bars on the outskirts of town was closed. Only one car could be seen driving through the dismal abyss of snow and darkness. Seishin lifted the binoculars from his eyes and squinted into the blizzard, and could barely make out the headlights from the car he'd just seen.

"Oi, pass them over would you? She wants to see. Sunako is getting hungry and we all know what happens when she gets too hungry…" Tatsumi left the sentence hanging, but Seishin could easily put in a dozen ends; bad things happened when the eldest of the group got hungry.

Seishin passed them over without complaint, and Tatsumi hastily put them up to his eyes. He studied the blizzard for a moment, and then pulled them down from his face. He turned to Seishin. "That's the car Natsuno described isn't it? A silver Jeep liberty owned by a bitchy-looking blonde girl; let's see if Natsuno can play his cards right".

* * *

Anita Goodwin sang along to Katy Perry while she thought about her amazing day. They got a new transfer student, who was a _total _hottie, and he sat next to her and had four other classes with him; in each class, he sat next to her! He asked about her life but gave almost no information about his own, but Anita was ok with that; it gave her more chances to talk about herself. He even allowed her to say his first name

All her friends at school said he was into her, and she desperately hoped they were right; he was gorgeous on a god-like level, a state that no boy in her town could ever hope to achieve. "Oh Natsuno, where are you?" she asked to her windshield, but the heavens must've heard her. When she rounded the next bend, who was she to see but Natsuno, who was raising his desperate arms around, barely seeable in the blizzard. Anita slammed her brakes and jumped out of her car.

Natsuno noticed her and relief came to his face, along with a beautiful smile that made her heart stop. "Thank god you saw me Anita. I was driving when one of my tires blew out; my sister is still in the car and getting colder by the minute. My cellphone is dead and I was getting really worried that I wouldn't find anyone for Sunako." Ah yes, the cancer sister; Anita remembered him mentioning that. She smirked: this was her chance to prove to him that she was beautiful and kind!

"I'll drive you guys back into town, where you can call a tow. Show me where you guys are." He smiled at her again and her knees almost bucked. He motioned her to follow him, and she went all too willingly. He led her down the winding path and onto an off ramp, one that was rarely used. "Why'd you guys go down here?" She asked, but he just turned and smiled again, and she forgot she asked.

Around them snow fell in heavy bunches, and Anita could feel her body growing colder, and cursed herself for not thinking of just driving down there. She was about to say something when a large branch cracked in the woods to her left and she let out a little scream.

"Do the things that go 'bump' in the night scare you?" Natsuno asked her without facing her, and she let out a shaky less, suddenly frightened. "Well then…" he drifted off and turned to face her, and she let out an ear-piercing scream. His face was almost completely obscured by the snow, but she could see glowing red eyes glaring into hers. "…you really shouldn't offer rides to monsters, because they'll eat up pretty young things like you." He smiled, and where teeth should've been, fangs were.

She turned and got five feet away when her knees were kicked out from under her and her face hit the freezing snow. She looked up to see a young girl with long purple hair and red eyes. "Good catch Sunako, but she wouldn't have made it far anyways," Natsuno spoke, and Anita realized there were _two _monsters staring down at her.

"Seishin, Tatsumi, we got her; you can come out now," the girl called out, and it was a childish voice, as though they caught the last member of hide-and-seek, not a likely murder victim.

_ 'Murder victim…I'm going to die aren't I?' _Anita thought, and began screaming with all her might. Maybe someone else would be on the road, would hear her screams. That idea was ended abruptly when she was flipped onto her back and Natsuno delivered a kick to her stomach that left her gasping for air. The other two, presumably the one's she'd just called, were looking at her too; one looked calm, the other eager.

When she could finally speak, she begged: "Please don't kill me! I won't tell anyone what you did; I won't talk to you, I won't' talk to the police; I won't do _anything_!" At this point she was sobbing, and the four monsters above her looked unsympathetic to her cries.

"We won't kill you," spoke the calm-looking one, "you won't even remember the feeding; you'll only have mild anemia and no memory of what happened here. We're just here to feed, not murder."

Before Anita could process what he'd said, Natsuno lifted her up by the neck and put his lips to her neck. _'Oh my god….they're fucking vamp-'. _Her train of thought ended when Natsuno sunk his teeth into her neck and Anita faded into unconsciousness…

* * *

Seishin gently guided Anita back to her car, told her to start the ignition, and to keep driving until she got home. She nodded; her eyes were dull and motions sluggish. Seishin gave her a concerned look and spoke to the others. "Are you sure we didn't drain her too much? She's moving like she's been fed off of for days…"

"Well," Sunako spoke, sneaking up on him, "that's bound to happen when four of us feed at once. That's why we chose to attack on a Friday. Come Monday she'll be fine, and she won't remember any of this."

Seishin nodded and shut the driver door. Anita started up the car, and the jeep sped off into the night. Once it was out of sight, Sunako turned to Tatsumi who was already removing his shoes. Sunako removed a manila envelope from inside her jacket and tossed it to Tatsumi. Seishin quickly unlaced his boots as Sunako began speaking.

"Now that we're nice and full, let's get started here. Tatsumi, you and Seishin are to scope out the area to make sure the number of vamps described in the package sent to us was true. Howl when you've reached an answer. Retreat as soon as you have the information. _Do not be seen._"

With that last statement, the two boys were off, sprinting soundlessly into the forest. Sunako leaned against a fallen tree trunk and sighed loudly, which was an odd thing for her to do, seeing as how she hadn't taken a real breath in hundreds of years. Natsuno copied her and relaxed against an adjacent tree trunk. He began to wander off in his mind when Sunako began speaking again, so softly a human wouldn't be able to hear it.

"This night is so beautiful, it really takes me back…" she had a slightly sad smile on her face, and Natsuno couldn't help but ask why. "Oh, I never told you? Tatsumi's known for a long time, and I revealed it to Seishin right before he was turned." Sunako looked back at her, and Natsuno swore he could see tears fall from her doll-like face. "It was on a night similar to this that I was killed and turned into one of us."

* * *

_ Beautiful dresses flew across the dance floor as more and more guest arrived for the party. Men and women of high status kept on flowing in; the girl wondered if any were royalty. She looked down at her pale blue dress, and wondered if anyone would notice her. It _was _her parent's party, but as the youngest child she often got overlooked for her smart brothers or beautiful sisters. This was only the first of many winter galas, but she knew they'd all be the same._

_ The girl sighed and attempted to sit up like a proper lady, but her back was hurting from the small corset mother forced her to wear and slumping helped her to breathe. She was grabbing for another roll to sneak while no one was watching when a hand fell upon her shoulder. She flinched, and prepared to listen to another lecture from her mother; instead, a voice like an angel choir befell her ears._

_ "You must be the youngest of the children, correct?" She turned and there stood a man more beautiful than anything the girl had ever seen before: light blonde hair fell in straight locks to his shoulders, skin as white as white as fresh-fallen snow, and eyes of beautiful hazel. "It is my greatest pleasure to make your acquaintance, young miss; my name is Sir Alexander Charmaine. May I have this dance?"_

_ With a blush that covered her face, she merely nodded and he nearly swept her off her feet and into the center of the dance floor. Other couples stopped and stared at the beautiful man in front of her, and she blushed even more. "Ignore them; just focus on my voice and the sound of the music." She nodded and they glided across the floor._

_ The song ended and he bowed; she hesitated, but quickly followed his example. He took her by the hand and led her towards one of the balconies. They walked outside into the cold air, but the girl couldn't feel the cold; her body was still warm from thoughts of the dance. He closed the balcony doors and faced her once more. He stared deeply into her eyes, so much so that she could feel him staring into her soul._

_ "I wanted you to know that you are the most gorgeous thing I've seen yet, and I wish to see you again; is that alright?" She nodded once again, and he rewarded her with a smile that made her heart stop._

_ Suddenly she was pulled close, and she couldn't breathe. Was he going to kiss her? Was this her fairy-tale romance that she'd been promised? She closed her eyes and leaned in. The man leaned down until his mouth was at her neck, and she turned scarlet. Did he mean to…_

_ Her thoughts slowly fell apart in her head as everything started to blur, except for the man with his mouth on her neck. She began to lose all feeling in her body, and wondered if this whole experience had overwhelmed her. _

_ As darkness began to claim her, she opened her eyes and looked up; funny, his eyes seemed to be crimson in this light. When unconsciousness finally overtook her, she noticed something very odd. 'Why, this is just like one of those stories about vampires my sister would tell me when I couldn't….'_

* * *

"After that he came to my room every night and sucked my blood until my veins ran dry. My parents buried me, and two days later I came back. They put me in a cellar and would have maids come in each night so I could fulfill my…hunger. Many years past, and eventually the servants stopped coming. I broke out of the cellar, only to find a new family had moved in. I searched for decades, until I realized that not even my youngest older brother could still be living."

Natsuno stood speechless; he tried to process words, but they just weren't forming in his head. "Oh," Sunako said, touching her pointer finger to her chin, "if you're wondering about Sir Charmaine, I _took care_ of him several years ago…"

Natsuno could feel the malice pouring out of her words, so he decided not to enquire any further about the man who made her life hell. Instead he thought about how much this changed things. If that man hadn't chosen Sunako as his victim, she never would've turned, and Sotoba would still be fine. He could've had kids, a wife, and a family.

He grimaced at the thought. Sotoba had been a place to get away from, and even though it was in a violent way, he'd gotten that wish granted. He was thankful for the life he had. He also had a family, albeit a very unorthodox one.

Branches shifted to his left, but Natsuno only lifted a lazy stare at the two approaching figures. "Sunako, the information was correct. The nest seems to have about ten, although one of them mentioned that 'Ryan' had yet to return, so we can assume at least eleven."

"Alright then; thank you boys, you did wonderful. Now let's get down to business."


	2. Going in for the Kill

Hey, I'm not dead! I know it's been a very (VERY) long time since I last updated, but I haven't stopped this story. I hope that, whoever you are, you enjoy this chapter, and the story as a whole. I am excited for this chapter, because for once I'm writing an actual plot, not just oneshots that are tied together to form a semblance of a story! Anyways, I hope you enjoy the second chapter of Sunset. Your ever faithful (but not very swift) Serenity. And props to anyone who gets the reference for the chapter title (hint: it's in a song)

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Sunset

Chapter Two: Going in for the Kill

** November 19****th****, 2011 (Anchorage) 11:30 PM**

The forest was silent, almost to an eerie point. The snow fell in great amounts, but in absolute silence. It also didn't help that snow muted any sounds save for the not-so-often bird cries. The man sighed and leaned back further on his chair, wishing he could be out with the rest of the guys. He was on lookout duty, but for what? Stray dogs, perhaps rabbits, or even a wolf if he got lucky? All he could see for miles was snow, snow and more goddamned snow! All his friends were out hunting and he was left guarding an empty, abandoned cabin in the middle of no-man's land.

Feeling his stomach clench, he leaned back and shut his eyes. A lone deer would be perfect right now; he was starving! He could already see it, the thought making his mouth salivate: a grown doe, walking innocently in the forest, full of hot, pulsing life. The man went deeper into his fantasy, attacking the deer and seeing its life pour out rapidly through its neck and into his awaiting mouth. His fangs slipped out, and he realized he better get back to reality before he ran off and pursued his fantasy for real.

His eyes opened, and a pair stared back. "Fuck!" he exclaimed, and jumped straight off his chair. A little girl, no more than twelve or thirteen, watched him with a slight smirk on her face. She stood beyond the porch, waiting for his reaction. He calmed down and stood up, towering over her small form even from a distance. "Listen girly, you better scram; I may have some reservations about kids, but my friends…" he trailed off as he noticed her open-mouthed smile. She had some particularly pointed canines, and teeth like that meant one thing only: she was a vamp, just like him.

Noticing the realization that dawned on his face, she smiled even bigger and spoke to him. "You figured it out I see; I hoped you would before we would have to result to…_unpleasant_ circumstances. But you seem to be an intelligent man, so I'm glad it didn't have to come to that."

"Thanks, but I-wait, _we? _Are you not alone?" He was honestly starting to get spooked; his buddies weren't supposed to be back for at least another ten minutes. If she wasn't alone, who knows what could happen to him.

"I'm just a little girl, sir; of course I'm not alone! I brought my family. Come out, boys!" The other vampire's heart, if it could still pump blood, would be beating frantically by now; instead, the hairs on his arms and neck stood up straight as three large and definitely _male_ figures came out from the surrounding trees. Wait, _three_? How the hell did he not sense them?

As if reading his mind, the blue-haired one who looked to be the oldest spoke up. "It's okay, we're used to hiding our presence; you're not stupid. Well, actually I can't speak for your intelligence level can I? I don't know you yet." The three men began advancing and the lone vamp began backing up until his back hit the frosted over wall of the cabin.

"Listen, I don't know anything! They keep all of us out of the loop right up until the plan gets set in motion." He was honestly starting to fear for his…life-like form. The man who spoke before noticed his apprehension and laughed. The man wanted to cry: did he laugh because he thought that being feared was funny, or was this one of those pre-kill rituals some vamps had?

"We're not here to kill you: _we want in._" The man's expression had turned serious, and while the revelation that his existence was to be spared, the tone in which he spoke sent terrified shivers down his spine.

"I-I can't help you there; you have to beg the leader and go through initiation. I would really like to help you, but…" he trailed off as the four vampires began their approach towards the little porch where the terrified vampire stood. He reached blindly around for the door knob, but he kept on sliding around it. The four unknown vampires continued their walk until they had reached the porch steps; at this point, the vampire that had been on guard duty began crying.

"I really can't do anything; I'm just one of the underlings! Please, just let me go and find the others, they should be back soon. I swear that I won't run. Please, just please let me go find them." The young girl kept on approaching while the men stayed in place. Tears began gushing down his face as he fell to his knees, mumbling incoherently.

When he believed all hope was lost, a voice suddenly rang out from the distance: "Oi, who the hell are you freaks, and what'd you do to Alec?" The vampire known as Alec who had been crying on the porch perked up at his name being called. Several figures appeared at the edge of the wood: if he still had a heartbeat, he knew he would've felt it rising. His friends were here; he would be saved!

He stood up and wiped the tears that covered his face. "Gerard, these four came out of nowhere and said they wanted in!" The one known as Gerard stepped forward from the rest, and the four foreign vamps knew he was the leader. He looked at all four of them, and then at Alec, with a thoroughly amused look on his face.

"Alec, you're telling me that these four _weaklings_ made you cry? I thought my men were made of stronger stuff than that…" The other men behind Gerard snickered, and Alec felt shame and embarrassment flow through him.

The four 'weakling' vampires turned and faced Gerard, who was still smirking at Alec's shame. The blue-haired one walked right up to the group and spoke again, but this time addressing Gerard. "I'm sorry, but you really shouldn't label someone until you fully know their strength."

Gerard snorted and leaned down until he was eye level with the girl. "You don't look very strong to me, and your presence is extremely weak; I can't sense anything other than me and my men." The underlings behind him laughed once more, and Gerard felt pride course through him. "Why don't you just leave now, and take your little friends with you?"

The girl, who until then had been smiling, instantly frowned. She turned and nodded to the other three, who merely nodded their heads. In an instant, an overwhelming presence could be felt by everyone in the small area, especially Gerard. The girl turned to him, smiling once more. "The best vampires can hide their presence from others, don't you think?" She smirked, and Gerard felt the hair at the back of his neck stand up. These were _not _your average vampires.

Regaining his composition, Gerard addressed all four of them. "Alright then, you've proved that you're not the run-of-the-mill vamps. Who are you; where did you come from?"

The blue-haired one smirked, as did the girl. The silver haired man kept a passive look on his face, but there was a definite look of what appeared to be…pity? The Alaskan vamps couldn't be sure. The one with purple hair stepped forward and stared Gerard straight in the eye.

"Sotoba."

In an instant, the valley was completely silent. Even Gerard, who had been thinking they were just a little higher than average, was speechless. Every vampire of the modern age knew what happened in Sotoba, of the massacre and the great fire that killed hundreds of humans and vampires alike. They all knew what happened after that too. Five years after the fire, a human who'd lived in the village tracked down the few remaining vampires: they butchered him without remorse and sucked him dry.

Gerard was the first person to speak again. "S-Sotoba; you're joking right? I mean, the only ones who survived were…" He trailed off, and the girl smiled.

"You're looking at the survivors. The blue-haired one is Tatsumi; the grey-haired one is Seishin; the other boy is Natsuno, and I am Sunako…Sunako _Kirishiki_." At this proclamation, several of Gerard's underlings gasped. Gerard was absolutely speechless. Looking from face to face, he knew she was telling the truth. The descriptions matched: one young girl, a teenager, and two men in their mid-twenties. They were the real deal, the goddamned_ Sotoba_ vampires.

Gerard weighed his decisions carefully. Adding more to the group would give them a greater chance at being caught. But theses vampires were legendary: turning them down could mean risking his entire team, and a small voice in his head said that the Sotoba vampires would win easily.

Gerard calmed himself and faced them once more. "Alright, you said you want in?" The four nodded, and he continued. "Having members who are as experienced as you are will be very helpful in our cause. You're in."

His underlings were silent, still stunned by the revelations of the vampires, but when Gerard glared back at them, they all clapped, albeit half-heartedly. He turned once more to the four, only to find them group together and whispering softly. Finally, after what felt like a lifetime to Gerard but was only two or so minutes, Sunako turned to him and smile.

"That's perfect _boss. _Let's begin."

* * *

**November 25****th****, 2011: (Anchorage)**

The Kirishiki vampires did _not _disappoint. When Gerard asked for information of any sort, they had it. In a matter of days they went from the newbies to Gerard's new confidantes. He often met with them alone, leaving the subordinates who'd served him for years to "guard home base". At times Gerard and the Kirishiki vamps would go off into the woods together for hours, leaving Gerard's lackeys restless and on edge. It was like they had in a trance, intoxicating him with information and ideas.

Alec and the others were getting fed up. Gerard didn't even hunt with them anymore, instead choosing to go off with his 'new pals.' Years, even decades, of servitude were forgotten the moment that little bitch opened her mouth and began talking. Gerard's boys had all heard the stories of how the little 'Kirishiki Murder Princess' (a name that survived along with the few Sotoba residents that didn't perish in the fire) and her followers had slowly dwindled the number of humans down by controlling them by sucking the victim's blood. While they knew it couldn't happen to fellow vampires, it still felt like Gerard had turned into the Kirishiki's puppet.

After hours of sitting and waiting while Gerard and _those vampires_, (as Gerard's underlings referred to them in private) talked over some matter, they emerged from the small room that had been converted to a study. Sunako looked subtly victorious, and Gerard was smiling. The other three Sotoba vampires wore expressions that were devoid of emotion.

"Well boys, a decision" Gerard spoke triumphantly, and at once the room went silent. All were eager to hear what it was that Gerard had to say. Gerard looked over at Sunako, who nodded and stepped forward to speak.

"Gerard has informed us of the alleged hunter threats that you've been experiencing for the past several months, so the four of us have come up with a plan to eradicate our opposition."

Stunned looks were displayed across the faces of Gerard's followers. The hunters had taken twelve of their strongest in the past four months, and these four unknowns believed they had the key to eradication? As if; they'd probably just get their heads chopped off, an idea which sounded good in many of the underling's minds. They were shaken from their thoughts of death when the girl started to speak again.

"While all of us will be participating in the final eradication, it is Natsuno who will be the key. Natsuno, will you continue?" She gestured to the other violet haired vampire: tall, pale skin, looking barely out of his teens, and a stare that pierced the soul. He nodded and stepped forward.

"I have been attending school with the humans, and I've learned their ways. Being a teenager myself when I was turned, I know how to fit in among them."

At this point one of the more reckless and cocky of Gerard's followers shouted out, "What the hell do teenagers have to do with vamp hunters?" Murmurs of agreement could be heard, and Natsuno merely gazed at them until they quieted down.

"Before arriving in Anchorage we received word that the son of the chief hunter was in attendance at the high school, so we sent Natsuno in to survey the child and get close to him." Sunako finished her interjection with a smile that said _'don't interrupt if you don't know what you're saying'_. "Natsuno," she said, turning to the teen, "continue please."

He nodded his head and began speaking once more. I had my schedule fixed so that I have all classes with the kid, and I'm about to begin my approach. Within the month, I will be able to lure him out, and then we strike."

"You're saying that we're going to kill this kid?" The same vamp that had asked before spoke again, although this time in a much more demure tone. "That's pretty messed up."

"Oh child," Sunako said to the vamp, walking up to him and taking his hand, "we're going to mutilate him. After we drain him near dry, we'll cut him up and send the body parts to his family, one day at a time. That should drive them at us blind with rage, and humans are easiest to kill when they do not notice the things around them. We will end the hunters that have plagued you, and we'll do it for a small price, which Gerard has already consented to."

One of the smarter of Gerard's followers wryly asked "and what would that be, _princess_?" he asked in a tone that wasn't quite mocking, but not serious.

Sunako giggled, and in a blink of an eye she was in front of the new speaker, smiling innocently up at him; a cold that made Antarctic winters seem warm crept up his spine, and he visibly swallowed. "We demanded access to all of your lands so that we could feed without having to worry about border disputes, as we plan to stay here for quite a while."

She began to walk away, but stopped and turned. "I was never princess, just a lord's daughter, but thank you for the title; it makes me feel grand." She said the word grand with specific emphasis, and the meaning behind it was clear: _call me that again and I'll rip your tongue and eat it myself_.

The man shut his mouth and did not speak again. Sunako finished her walk back to the center staging area where the others in charge were standing. She faced the vampires and, seeing Gerard incline his head, began to speak once more.

"Here's the plan…"

**November 27****th****, 2011 (Anchorage): 12:10 PM**

Clinton Palmer sighed and slumped further in his seat, staring dejectedly at his tuna sandwich. He peered around the lunchroom and saw everyone sitting with someone else, and sighed. _'Another day, anther lunch alone,'_ he thought, and began to pack up his lunch. At this rate it he'd rather just skip the meal altogether. With thanksgiving over, school had only several weeks until the much-loved winter break. For most students, it was a time to talk about Christmas and gifts. For Clinton, it was the normal solitude that he experienced every day. No holiday spirit for him.

"Is this seat taken?" A voice quietly asked, and Clinton choked on the milk he was chugging down. He began coughing violently: _'Jesus,' _he thought, _'this is just wonderful: another fucking reason for people to stare and talk about me.'_ He resigned himself to become the topic of yet more gossip, and was genuinely surprised when he felt a hand lightly patting him on the back, encouraging him to swallow.

He got his breathing back to normal and sighed in relief. "Thanks man, I really appreciate it." He opened his eyes and almost choked again, although instead of milk, it was the words he was about to speak. In front of him was Natsuno Koide, the transfer student that had the entire school in the gossiping frenzy their small high school had ever seen.

Boys were jealous, girls were in love, and teachers were in awe at his superb academic prowess. Clinton had seen him talking to Anita Goodwin the popular girl several weeks ago, but he stopped after about two days. _'Ha,' _he thought dryly, _'maybe he realized what an annoying bitch Anita is.'_ Clinton was dragged out of his internal dialogue when he saw Natsuno staring at him expectantly.

He stuttered out a _yeah_ and internally cursed: who stutters on _one _word? Natsuno however, didn't seem to mind and sat down across from him. He opened his bag and produced a small, wooden box. From across the table, Clinton studied it with curiosity. Noticing his staring, Natsuno smiled slightly and spoke. "They're called Bento Boxes. It's what Japanese kids usually use as a lunch box." Clinton nodded and tried to seem worldly. He didn't have many (any) friends and desperately wanted one in this stranger.

Natsuno opened the box and took out a rice-covered triangle-shaped…_thing_ which he then proceeded to eat with grace that was more suited to riding a horse, or posing for a photo shoot. Clinton just watched him eat with utter fascination. He noticed that Natsuno had a little line of red dripping down his side. He hastily offered up one of his unused napkins, and Natsuno smiled again. '_Damn'_ Clinton thought, _'that smile could bring any girl to their knees'_

"Thank you," Natsuno spoke after he'd cleaned his mouth. "My sister makes my lunches, and she often puts in meat that's far rawer than I'd like."

Once again, Clinton nodded, essentially dumbfounded by how fucking _smart _this kid across from him looked just cleaning off his face. The guy even folded the napkin; no one in Anchorage folded their napkins. Trying to add to the conversation, Clinton (in a very cool-sounding tone, he'd say), "You know, there aren't people like you around here: people with class and…and…well, the only word I can think of is coolness."

Natsuno paused at the statement 'aren't people like you around here', but smiled when he heard the rest of Clinton's statement.

"I don't know," Natsuno spoke, "I know of a few-my family namely. They taught me all about being…classy." Clinton snickered at Natsuno using the word classy.

The two carried on a casual conversation until Natsuno's phone rang. He looked down, and the smile from his face seemed to dim a little bit. He looked up at Clinton. "I'm sorry, but I really need to take this; can we continue later?" Clinton eagerly nodded and Natsuno smiled.

The fair-skinned exchange student walked out of the lunchroom and into the empty courtyard. He scanned the doors, windows and all other surroundings. Deeming himself alone, Natsuno causally jumped onto the tallest branch of the nearest tree and answered the call.

"How's the plan going, Naa-chan?" Sunako asked, and Natsuno winced. It'd been almost twenty-five years since she'd first given him that awful nickname, and yet she was still sticking to it.

Ignoring that annoyance, Natsuno replied, "It's on schedule; the boy doesn't suspect a thing. I'm predicting it'll only take a week to get him alone and out of school with me."

"Perfect," Sunako replied, and Natsuno merely stayed quiet. "Continue the good work Naa-chan; I'll report back to our superiors about the progress."

"Alright. I have to leave; class starts soon, and I'd rather not be late."

"Ah, Naa-chan, I didn't realize you were so studious!" Sunako exclaimed in a mocking tone, and Natsuno's eyebrow twitched in annoyance.

"I don't care what those idiots who call themselves teachers have to say, but it'll be bad if I rouse any suspicion by being absent."

"That's my Naa-chan, always thinking ahead! With this much progress, it won't be long before we can start going in for the kill" Natsuno internally sighed and hung up the phone. He surveyed the area once more, and, when he knew the coast was clear, jumped down from his temporary perch and went back inside.

Time to get the party started


End file.
